The Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) is among six federations nominated for World Athletics’ Member Federation Award.
The Member Federation Award honours a national governing body that has gone above and beyond to serve its athletes, fans and greater community. The shortlisted federations were nominated by each of the six area associations.
According to World Athletics, Jamaica, in the face of difficult health and economic circumstances, stepped forward to host the 49th Carifta Games that were held in April.
The record-breaking performances at the event were reflective of the preparations and commitment of the local organizing committee, which was put in place by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).
The country’s athletes – particularly the women – produced outstanding performances at the elite end, namely at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22, the Commonwealth Games, and on the Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Jamaica’s O’Dayne Richards, meanwhile, was elected Chair of the NACAC Athletes’ Commission.
Also among the nominees is Brazil that hosted six international events successfully in 2022, including the South American U18 and U23 Championships, the South American Cross Country Championships, the Pan-American Cross Country Championships, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, and an international grand prix.
The federation secured two revolutionary sponsorship deals, benefitting the country’s elite athletes as well as providing a boost to the sport at grass roots level.
Guam’s significant governance reforms at Guam Track and Field have led to an athletics resurgence within the country, as underlined by the country’s performance at the U18 and U20 Oceania Championships, as well as at the Pacific Games.
Guam will host the Oceania Cross Country Championships at the end of 2022, the country’s first area championships for more than 10 years and a direct result of the hard work the federation has done in governance over the past year.
The federation has also signed multiple sponsor and partnership agreements for the national kit and local competitions.
Kenya was also among the members nominated as it was the first member federation to sign the Sport for Climate Action Framework, underlining the governing body’s position at the forefront of climate action in Kenya.
Since August 2021, when it signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Athletics Kenya has installed four air quality sensors in the Kasarani Stadium, Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi National Park and Nakuru Athletics Club, with more to come.
As well as staging the only Continental Tour Gold meeting in Africa, Kenya also hosted a media development programme for the African region in 2022.
At the elite end of the sport, Kenya topped the medals table at the African Championships, winning 10 gold medals, five silver and eight bronze. Eliud Kipchoge also lowered his own marathon world record, while Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir added world titles to the Olympic gold medals they won last year.
Korea’s years of investment finally paid off for the Korea Association of Athletics Federations in 2022 as high jumper Woo Sanghyeok won world indoor gold – the country’s first global indoor title. He went on to take silver at the World Championships in Oregon and performed consistently on the international circuit.
The country is preparing to host the Asian U20 Championships in June next year and is bidding for the 2025 Asian Championships.
They also continue their fine work in the grass roots of the sport, including building and launching their own national development centre which aims to host training camps for national and international athletes.
Spain hosted the inaugural European Off-Road Running Championships, a continental championship that combined trail and mountain running and which took place in El Paso on the Spanish island of La Palma in July.
Despite the odds – including a volcano eruption in the lead-up to the event – the championships was a tremendous success.
Spain also hosted the inaugural Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) European U20 Clubs competition, where more than 200 athletes representing teams from 11 countries took part in what was billed the ‘Clash of the clubs’.
Showcasing all they learned in the hosting of these events, Spain staged an international conference in October entitled ‘Team Athletics: The Sport’s New Offer’.
The winner will be announced in early December on World Athletics' social media platforms.
With Paris Olympics just over a year away, T&T multi-event athlete Tyra Gittens signs with Puma
Trinidad and Tobago Olympian Tyra Gittens has gone professional.
The 24-year-old Gittens announced on Instagram on Monday that has signed with Puma.
“Turning dreams into reality. I am proud to announce that I’m a new member of team Puma,” she said.
“The transition into my professional career was not smooth or easy but I have amazing people in my corner who rooted for me when I didn’t feel worthy of it. So excited to start this new chapter of my life.”
Gittens was an outstanding athlete while at Texas A&M University where she excelled at the heptathlon, high jump and long jump events.
In 2021 at SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she jumped 6.96m to place her inside the top 10 for the year so far and set Trinidad and Tobago records in Heptathlon 6418 points, high jump 1.95 m and long jump 6.96 m.
However, those 6418 points where just two points shy of the Olympic standard and caused her to miss 2020 Tokyo Olympics in that event.
However, she did qualify for the Olympics where she jumped 6.60m to finish 10th overall.
She struggled for form in 2022, when she jumped 6.27m for 11th place at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. She was also well below her best in the high jump clearing 1.76m for 14th place in the high jump.
At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon that year she only managed 6.44m for 19th place in the long jump.
She was fourth at the NACAC Senior Championships with her best effort of 6.25m.
Later that year, Gittens transferred from Texas A&M to University of Texas citing a need to shift her focus from the heptathlon to the long and high jump events.
“I don’t feel like I outgrew it because I still have a lot of things that I wanted to do in the hep and accomplish in the hep. But at the same time, you kind of have to feel your body. It’s a lot to do the hep, I’m not going to lie, and so I wanted to challenge myself in other ways,” said Gittens in a media interview in 2022.
Now, armed with her Puma contract, Gittens can now turn her focus to the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“My goals are not something you necessarily can write down. It’s more of a feeling and how I carry myself and how I adapt and how I push through all of the things that has led me here. I think that’s what my goal is for this year — to overcome a lot of things that the younger Tyra wouldn’t have been able to,” she said.
Nkrumie, Hibbert, Cole headline Jamaica squad for 2023 CARIFTA Games in Nassau
Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Jaydon Hibbert and Serena Cole headline the squad selected to represent Jamaica at the 50th edition of the CARIFTA Games scheduled for April 8-10 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Nkrumie will compete in the 100m after winning the event in 10.19 at Jamaica’s CARIFTA Trials held at the National Stadium earlier this month.
The 19-year-old ran a national junior record 10.02 for 100m silver at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali last year, a race won in a world junior record 9.91 by Botswanan sensation Letsile Tebogo.
Hibbert, an 18-year-old freshman at Arkansas University, won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title in Albuquerque in March with a magnificent 17.54m, a World Junior Record. He also won gold at the World U-20 Championships last year in a meet record 17.27m.
Cole will compete in both the long jump and the 100m in Nassau. She won the 100m at the CARIFTA Trials in an impressive 11.18 and was third in the long jump with 5.84m. She was also a silver medallist at the World U-20 Championships last year, running 11.14 to finish behind countrywoman Tina Clayton.
The full team is as follows:
Female U-17: Natrece East, Tiana Marshall, Shanoya Douglas, Rosalee Gallimore, Kevongaye Fowler, Kededra Coombs, Bryana Davidson, Camoy Binger, Rhianna Lewis, Sashana Johnson, Shanniqua Williams, Asia Mckay, Sabrina Atkinson, Dionjah Shaw, Shemonique Hazle, Breana Brown, Alikay Reynolds, Abigail Campbell.
Female U20: Serena Cole, Alana Reid, Carleta Bernard, Rickiann Russell, Kacian Powell, Kishay Rowe, Rickeisha Simms, Jody-Ann Mitchell, Kaydeen Johnson, Habiba Harris, Alexis James, Tonyan Beckford, Alliah Baker, Jade-Ann Dawkins, Deijanae Bruce, Cedricka Williams, Abigail Martin, Britannia Johnson, Britannie Johnson.
Male U-17: Tramaine Todd, Khamani Gordon, Donte Mendez, Dontae Watson, Kenrick Sharpe, Nickecoy Bramwell, Rasheed Pryce, Joel Morgan, Delano Todd, Tyrone Lawson, Kahiem Carby, Shakir Lewis, DeAndre Gayle, Demarco Bennett, Euan Young, Courtney Kinglock, Michael Neil, Joseph Salmon, Javontae Smith, Ronaldo Anderson.
Male U-20: Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, De Andre Daley, Malique Smith Band, Javorne Dunkley, Delano Kennedy, Jasauna Dennis, Kemarrio Bygrave, Ainsley Brown, Ainsley Campbell, Shaquane Gordon, Demario Prince, Roshawn Clarke, Antonio Forbes, Royan Walters, Brandon Pottinger, Chavez Penn, Jaydon Hibbert, Kobe Lawrence, Shaiquan Dunn, Tyreese Ebanks.
Management team: Chef De Mission: Maulton Campbell, Manager: Richard Thompson, Assistant Manager: Richard Thompson, Assistant Manager: Desrine Anderson, Technical Leader: David Riley, Doctor: Dr. Jason Dawson, Coach: Keilando Gobourn, Coach: Dave Anderson, Coach: Demar Gayle, Coach: Richard Smith, Coach: Kamille Ellis, Coach: Jeremy Deslliser, Massage Therapist: Orville Crawford.
Jamaica's Reggae Boyz hold Mexico to 2-2 draw but miss out on Concacaf Nations League final
Mexico and Jamaica played to a 2-2 draw in the final encounter in Group A of League A in the 2022–23 Concacaf Nations League at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico.
The tie assures Mexico the top spot in the group and a place in the Concacaf Nations League finals in June.
Jamaica goalkeeper Jahmali Waite started for the visitors and made a pivotal save early to deny Hector Moreno in the 6’, as the home side looked dangerous early on set pieces.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid placed the Reggae Boyz in the lead with a right-footed laser from outside the box in the 8’, marking his third international goal and first in a League A match.
The hosts responded shortly after as Orbelín Pineda pounced on a rebound inside the box in the 17’, tying the encounter at one apiece.
Jamaica regained the lead off a corner kick in the 33’ when the service from De Cordova-Reid bounced off the left thigh of Edson Álvarez for an own goal.
The match was temporarily suspended due to lightning in the 34’ and restarted as soon as conditions were deemed safe to resume.
After the restart, Hirving Lozano was denied by the top post in the 43’ as Mexico was inching closer to the tying goal.
Henry Martin was brought down inside the box by defender Ravel Morrison as Mexico earned a penalty in the first minute into injury time. Hirving Lozano converted in the 45'+2 to tie 2-2.
Luis Chavez attempted to test Waite from long range in the 54’ but the shot went just wide.
Guillermo Ochoa came up with a quick-witted save in the 57’ on a Jamaica corner headed by Shamar Nicholson.
Second half substitute Diego Laínez saw his own attempt denied by the woodwork in the 75’ as the home side continued to search for the victory.
Lozano nearly had his second of the night, and the potential game-winner, in second half injury time but the attempt was just inches from the far post.
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